Anguish
by Haha bye
Summary: A lot of things can be broken in a day. Furniture. Houses. People. Gods. Hearts. Promises. Hermes now knows this, all too well. Hermes/Percy. Oneshot. Challenge from Felicity Dream.


**A/N: YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS?**

**PERCY JACKSON'S BIRTHDAY!**

**Sing with me!**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PERCY,**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!**

**Yeah, I went all out for a fictional character's birthday. Sue me. :D**

**This is actually an answer to a challenge by Felicity Dream. I suggest you go check out her other challenges. I have two more I have to do by her.**

**This is my first challenge. :D**

**It's short, which like.**

**The song (which is not a part of the challenge, BTW) is **_**Stand by Me**_** by Ben E. King. I suggest listening to it while reading this. It's not needed, but it's just an awesome song.**

_Lyrics- Italics_

_**Flashbacks- Bold & Italics**_

_Him= Percy_

_**Disclaimer**_**: I don't own the Percy Jackson &The Olympians series and I don't own or have any rights to **_**Stand by Me**_** or its lyrics. They go to Rick Riordan and Ben E. King (or his associates, he may be deceased), respectively.**

Anguish

How many things can be broken in a day?

It would amaze you how many.

House.

Furniture.

Televisions.

Walls.

Windows.

Mirrors.

Hearts.

People.

Gods.

Hermes lay on the floor, legs straight out lying in what used to be a coffee table, propped up on a couch beyond repair, head lying on the broken springs. Tears descended down his bruised, scarred face, and mixed in with blood from a cut on his jaw. He stared aimlessly, blankly. No life was present in his eyes. Morning sunlight streamed through a window, pane and glass knocked out, and highlight his brown hair, which was now a crow's nest. He could repair himself, if he wanted to. If he had anything left in his body besides… well, nothing. He was a god! He could anything!

Except, he can't.

That was already proven.

The radio had managed to make it through. It was playing a song that made the tears start flowing more heavily, but he was still silent.

_When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we see,_

Hermes' mouth opened and closed wordlessly, trying to sing along. He had lost his voice. He had lost everything. Because _he_ took it.

_No, I won't, be afraid. No I won't be afraid. Just as long, as you stand, stand by me._

Why isn't that true anymore, what had gone so wrong?

Why wasn't this song true anymore?

He remembered that evening so well.

_**They were on Montauk Beach, looking at the brilliant colors of the sunset. It was that kind of thing that happens in little girl stories. They kind of ruined it though, sipping beer.**_

"_**Apollo does something beautiful, doesn't he?" muttered Hermes.**_

_**When he heard no reply, he looked to his companion, and was met with sea green eyes, with a mixture of emotions in them.**_

"_**You see something you like?" Hermes wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and the younger man let out a chuckle.**_

"_**You know I do," he said grinning from ear to ear. But the elixir of feelings in his eyes showed he was thinking about something else.**_

_**Hermes raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"**_

_**The young man sighed and lied down, looking up into the orange sky, sand getting in his ink colored hair. There was silence before he said, "You know, in my 24 years of living, I would've never thought I would be here with you."**_

"_**What does that mean?" Hermes questioned eyebrows scrunching together, a little panic running through his veins.**_

_**The green-eyed man automatically backtracked. "No, no-I don't mean it like that. I mean…" he sighed again. "You've probably been one of the best experiences in my life."**_

_**There was quiet for a moment while that sunk in.**_

_**The Hermes said, "I can say the same. I've lived for millennia, and being with you is the height of my immortal life."**_

_**The young man smiled at the response.**_

_**There was another short pause of silence.**_

"_**Am I slowing you down? You know, from doing your job?" The sea green-eyed man was still looking up in the sky.**_

_**Hermes raised one eyebrow again. 'Why are you worried?"**_

"_**I want to know if I keep you from doing your job," the young man answered.**_

"_**No you don't," Hermes reassured. "Everything's smooth. Plus, Iris can handle what I can't. I haven't had a break since Napoleon Bonaparte's time. It's okay." **_

"_**Okay," the young man nodded.**_

"_**Do I keep you from yours?" Hermes questioned.**_

_**Silence answered for him.**_

_**As Hermes opened his mouth to talk, the young man spoke.**_

"_**Am I worth it?"**_

_**Percy winced as he waited for the answer. It apparently had taken a lot of courage to ask that, and he didn't really know if he wanted the answer or not.**_

_**There was silence.**_

_**Then, Hermes rolled on top of the other man, staring hard into those sea green eyes, and said, "Definitely." And before there could be a reply back, he smashed their lips together.**_

_**That evening, they made love on the beach for the first time. It was not sex, like they have had before. It was making love. To detail making love would be impossible. It's the loveliest song, the most beautiful rose, the sweetest treats. And as they lie there after such a beautiful display of affection, they whispered to each other for the first time, "I love you."**_

_**The meaning behind it was so strong, so mighty, that neither doubted the**_ _**other.**_

What had go so, so, _so_ wrong?

_So darlin', darlin', stand by me. Oh, stand by me. Oh stand, stand by me. Stand by me._

_**As they lay there, the moon glowing above them bathing them in soft silver light, the radio played the sweet song, such a lovely song it was. Hermes knew all the lyrics, as it was one of his favorites.**_

_**He sung sweetly, flawlessly, beautifully to his lover, as the green-eyed man was lulled to sleep. The sound of Hermes's voice and soft crashing of waves was probably the most incredible harmonic sound the young man had ever heard. Before unconsciousness took him, he said, "Just stand by me."**_

_**Hermes whispered back, "I will. I promise."**_

He heard the crunching of glass under shoes. It did not stir him. He could hope it was the son of Poseidon, but he knew it would be in vain. Sure enough, Athena came into view, eyes widened. He did not look at her, she just happened to be where he looked.

"What in the world happened?" She whispered. "They sent me here because no messages are getting through. A lot of things are on hold to be delivered, the internet just crashed, and mortals are going insane. Poseidon is making tsunamis and hurricanes and earthquakes all over the place, he wants you skinned alive, the boy is a wreck…" she trailed off.

_If the sky that we look upon, should tumble and fall, or the mountains, should crumble, to the sea, I won't cry, I won't cry. No, I won't, shed a tear. Just as long, as you stand, stand by me._

Hermes voice was croaky and barely there as he finally found it, and sung the last part. At the end of the _me_, he just started heaving sobs.

He let it all go.

He was loud; tears started streaming heavier than ever. His noses started leaking. His chest went up and down, hurting every time it did. He choked every now and then. Athena ran to him, rubble crunching beneath her feet, and held Hermes in her arms very maternally as he shook violently. All he could think was "why".

Why couldn't it be _his _arms?

Why did it end so badly?

Why was he so fucking selfish?

Why?

Why?

Why?

_And darlin', darlin', stand, by me. Oh, stand, by me. Oh, stand, now. Stand by me. Stand by me._

He started heaving greater as the violin played in the song, without words.

What had happened?

_**They glared hard at each other, standing across from each other; only the coffee table separated them.**_

"_**And, tell me, Hermes, why must I go with you if I'm a grown ass man?" the sea green-eyed man said, the eyes filled with fury.**_

_**Hermes snorted without humor. "In which universe are you a 'grown ass man'?"**_

"_**Well, let's see," the young man said sarcastically, "I'm 25, have my own car and house-which I really want you to get out of by the way-, I have a job that needs attending to, and I can live my own life. That all qualifies me as a mature adult."**_

"_**If you're such a 'mature adult', why don't you grow up and go with me? Live with me and live everything behind?" Hermes exclaimed, losing his cool for a moment.**_

"_**Because I am not you toy, Hermes," the young man bit back. "Contrary to popular belief, you don't own me. My mom had invited me to dinner, and may I add I have not seen her or any of my friends and family since we've gotten together?"**_

"_**They don't matter anymore. It's me and you," Hermes said dismissively. **_

_**The young man's voice was dangerously low and slow, full of venom. "Are you suggesting, that I disregard everyone I love and care about to be with you? Hermes, the god who travels all the time, and leaves me here to twiddle my thumbs? Do you think you're more important than my own mother? My own father and stepfather? My best friends? Is that what you think?"**_

_**Hermes put on a small, dark grin, being provoking. Well, in reality, he was being a dumbass. "Yes."**_

_**The sea-green eyed man then lunged at the god. They yelled obscenities at each other, attacking like starved, blood-lusting beasts, destroying everything in their path.**_

_**After about half an hour, the young man finally yelled out, "I HATE YOU!" and the scene froze. Hermes' blood ran cold.**_

_**The sea-green eyed man stood up, blood running down various parts of his body, cuts, scrapes, bruises decorated him. A sneer was on his lips.**_

"_**I despise you. I hate you. Go to hell." With the last words, he walked out of his own house, slamming the door with enough force to break the window in the middle. The tires screeched as he went down the street. Hermes limped to what really couldn't be called a couch anymore, and sat on the floor. In his long life, those tires burning rubber was probably the worst sound he had ever heard. It showed it was final.**_

_**He was gone.**_

_Darlin', Darlin', stand by me..._

As the song continued, he realized another thing broken.

A promise.

By not standing by _him._

Instead, they broke each other.

Well, _he _broke Hermes.

And by breaking the promise, Hermes in turn broke _him._

The emotions inside were tearing him up, writhing and convulsing, and _hurting_. The pain, the breaking, the jagged edges, the _anguish_ was unbearable. He felt like throwing up, and he tried, but nothing came.

For once in his life, he wished he wasn't immortal, so he could just end his existence, right then and there.

He had nothing left to live for.

As he lay there in Athena's arms, she whispering sweet lies of happiness to calm him down, he went over something that he had though earlier.

While he lay there after the screeching of _his_ car wheels, he thought this:

He did something that he was not supposed to do.

He crossed a line.

He hadn't meant to, but he stole _him_ away from everyone.

But he doesn't care.

He's selfish like that.

**This was intense for me. Like, I literally cried during my own work. It was so sad to me. It probably won't affect you like it affected me, but I grew attached to the story. I wrote it under 4 hours. I was surprised by my own writing. It may not be as good as I think I want to be, but it was intense for me.**

**If you could, please read my other stories. :D**

**Also, could you please answer my poll? You don't have to read the story to answer.**

**Thanks Felicity Dream for the challenge. :D I have two more challenges by her I have to do. Maybe not as sad as this one. :D What do you think? Sad or not sad?**

**REVIEWS ARE VERY APPRECIATED.**


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